A father-of-two from Suffolk has written a book about his experiences with Cystic Fibrosis, after worrying his double lung transplant could cost him his life and that his young children would never get to know their dad.
Luke Peters, who lives near Newmarket, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at 13 months and his parents were warned it would dramatically reduce his life span.
Now 48, Luke lived a fairly normal life until his late 20s, when his health started to deteriorate and he was forced to stop working.
In 2017 he was put on the transplant list as his lung function dropped to just 20% and while preparing for the dangerous operation he realised there was so much more he wanted his children to know if he did not survive.
He said: “My biggest thing was that if I didn’t survive – either didn’t get the lungs soon enough or didn’t survive the operation – then my kids would grow up not knowing much about me.
“I decided to write a book about my life and experiences, and show what you can do instead of letting CF dominate your life.”
He continued: “Having this disease you either sink or swim and I’ve done so much I want people to know that you can do more, in spite of this condition.”
Now in lockdown, Luke has decided to start a page on Crowdfunder to publish his book ‘Coughing it all up – Chronicles of a Remarkable Life Despite Cystic Fibrosis’.
He has been shielding with his wife and two children since early on in the Covid-19 pandemic.
“My wife, who normally works in Cambridge, has been working from home and we took our kids out of school a week before they closed down,” he explained.
For Luke this has not been as difficult as it has for some.
“Some people live with this day in day out,” he said.
“CF people and their families are a pretty resilient bunch. We stay off public transport every flu season and we are used to spending time alone or at home.”
He is now allowed outside for exercise and has been grateful for the open countryside around him, however, he lives in fear of another peak, which could force him back indoors.
He said he is worried the easing of restrictions is coming too soon.
“A lot of the people who have died have been elderly, but 1.5million people are shielding due to health conditions,” he said, urging people to continue social distancing as lockdown is eased.
You can support Luke via his page on crowdfunder.
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